


Tiptoes

by stellarkitten



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-03
Updated: 2017-02-16
Packaged: 2018-05-24 13:20:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 20,030
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6155014
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stellarkitten/pseuds/stellarkitten
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Marinette is a ballerina, Adrien is still a model. Marinette is 24 and Adrien is 23 in this world. I don't know how long I want this to be, but I'm in love with Ballerina!Marinette and I hope you like it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So this is my first work on here, and I'm actually really proud of it so far. I worked really hard on it and I did so much research, which may or may not have involved me watching 3 different ballets. I was inspired by the fanart where Marinette and Adrien are doing ballet together and I just have so many feels about it. Feel my emotional pain with me.
> 
> I'll try to update whenever I can, but I can't guarantee a chapter every day. Hope you like it!

Adrien had always seen her posters plastered on the brick walls of Paris; striking blue eyes piercing his soul in a way that begged him to see her, familiarity filling his soul. Her shoulder length black hair curled slightly at the tips as it fell gently on her pale skin inticed him to run his hands through it. And yet, while he had all these feelings and wishes and wants, he’d never met the dancer in his life.

 

The posters appeared about a year and a half ago, an ad for _Swan Lake_ framing her as the lead dancer. A spark in her eyes as she tilted her head back, one leg bent underneath her with the other in front, arms spread back like wings. Her blazingly white bodice hugged her and shimmered, the flowing white skirt cascading around her. Her ballet slippers were tied perfectly around her calves, shining slightly as the silky fabric glinted the bright lights towards the camera. It was Adrien’s first time seeing her on a poster, and when he first glimpsed it on his way to a photoshoot, the way her half-closed eyes were filled with feeling and passion…it called to him and pulled him in. Since he had moved out of his father’s home when he turned 18 and ditched his abusive and neglectful past, Adrien realized there was nothing stopping him from seeing her perform. He went back to his apartment that day, mind only focused on going to the performance. Strangely enough, despite her being the main character in the play, he couldn’t find her name. Or maybe he didn’t look hard enough, subconsciously wanting to keep the mystery. Whatever it was, he now had prime seating tickets to her show, and he wasn’t going to miss it.

 

—————

 

Marinette never imagined she’d become a ballerina. Dancing had always been a way for her to practice her balance, poise, and strength for her battles as Ladybug, but since she and Chat Noir had defeated HawkMoth just after they graduated high school, she didn’t really have a reason to stay in the classes. The years of short nails and broken toes, even a broken ankle at one point, kept her there. All her memories of late night pointe practice glued her to the barre. The hope of moving up from corps de ballet to one of the leads kept her there. Every time she tried to leave, she would always say one more class…one more class…and she never left. Her fashion designing passion never left, and she used it to design and create her own costumes for her shows. She created her own premiere dresses for the after parties as well, and they never ceased to amaze those who asked who she was wearing- not that she did it for the attention.

 

Ladybug and Chat still met up every once in a while for a patrol, in case a mugger needed stopping or a puppy needed to be pulled out of a river. She used the time to practice her jumps and tone her leg muscles, constantly catching herself walking on her tiptoes, or exiting a jump with a plié and a grand jeté when she was alone. She would find herself leaning on a bridge guard rail practicing perfect posture, unmoving arms, the basic positions. She would be running back home, practicing an old or an upcoming routine in her head.

 

Despite Marinette’s passion for fashion design, ballet took up her mind the most. Since moving out of her parent’s home, Marinette had made her way through ballet school by making and selling clothes for big dance companies, and sometimes for one of her fellow dancers. Her apartment was close to the studio where she went for lessons and practice and was close to the opera house where they performed.

 

As Marinette made her way downstairs and out the front of her complex, she thumbed through the latest Paris Weekly and noticed a familiar face on the centerfold; her old classmate and still-sort-of crush, Adrien Agreste. He, as always, put the other models in the magazine to shame with his brilliant smile and bright eyes. Even though he had left the Agreste modeling company, Adrien seemed to be doing fine on his own. She wasn’t surprised. Adrien was intelligent and creative and artistic. Nothing was impossible for him. She never quite got over her crush for him, even though he never knew she existed. Well, maybe that was a stretch. He'd said hi to her in class, defended her from Chloe when she was on a vicious streak, and sometimes ate lunch with Alya, Nino, and her. Marinette would blush profusely and avoid eye contact with Adrien, stumbling over her words whenever he so much as waved to her. Ballet had given her more confidence, as well as being class president for years on end, but the crush had still inhibited her from acting like a normal person around him.

 

As she walked into the studio, she saw the posters for her returning role as Odette in _Swan Lake_. It was, by far, her most popular performance. It had been her first major appearance in the world of performing ballet, and she never imagined it would have gone so well. After pushing into the locker room, Marinette set her bag down in front of her locker and smiled, remembering the praise and support she'd received backstage after the show. After sliding her sweatshirt and shorts off to reveal a red leotard, she pulled on her skirt, grabbed her new pointe slippers and a sewing kit out of her duffel bag, and moved to the mirror to fix a few strands of hair that had slipped out of her bun. She greeted some dancers coming into the locker room as she left and trotted to the barre, where only a few other dancers in the massive room stood. After scattered greetings and waves, Marinette set her shoes down and began her stretches. One leg up on the barre, bend down, first position, second position, adagio into allegro. Comfort and thrill coursed through her veins as she swept her arms out and in, extending a leg or balancing on the balls of her feet.

 

Marinette bent down, picking her slippers up and bending them, breaking the shank and stepping lightly on the box. Opening the sewing kit, Marinette trimmed the edges of her shoes to form around her heels better and fixed new ribbons and bands to the shoes. She taped her toes, rubbing some rosin on the tops and bottoms of the shoes. After running back to the locker room, she put the sewing kit back in her duffel bag. She ran her fingers over the stiff bodice of her costume for the show, rhinestones and glitter bumping under her fingertips. She knew Angel would make her change into the outfit for the dry run of the show in a few hours, so she should attempt to enjoy her free dance time before practice started. Clipping her iPod to the neckline of her leotard, Marinette put the earbuds in her ears and turned on her Chopin playlist, stepping back into the studio. The first song was Nocturne No. 2 Op. 9 in E flat major. Immediately feeling goosebumps explode across her skin at the first note, she set the song on repeat and began with a plié, moving to arabesque, croisé; endless fluid movements as she let the music move her.

 

Marinette only hesitated when she felt someone grab her waist, moving with her, and she saw in the mirror that it was Lennon. Rolling her eyes, she jumped away from him and dipped forward slowly, one leg rising behind her as she made eye contact with the obnoxious man. He returned with a tour en l’air, bounding towards her, but Marinette rose and glided away. She moved demi-pointe to releve, ending with a tendu as the song finished as well, slowly bringing her leg up behind her again and slowly bending forward. Her arms extended, she glanced at Lennon as he dipped one leg behind him, the other leg bent in front as his arm reached out to her as if to take her hand. Marinette stood in fifth position, turning her iPod off and removing her earbuds.

 

“My goodness, you came out strong today,” Lennon leaned against the barre next to her as she put her iPod away. Marinette sighed and wiped sweat off her forehead with the back of her arm.

 

“The idea is to get _better_ , so of course I bring my all. Thank you for noticing, though,” She panted, going over to the water cooler and pouring a cup of water. With a gulp, the cold water cooled her from the inside out. “May I ask, though, _why_ you chose to interrupt my practice?”

 

“I seem to recall you reacting quite well to my so-called interruption, but if you must know, you truly enthralled me. I just _had_ to get next to you and experience what you were feeling. You were almost as good as me,” Lennon beamed, running a hand through his hair. Marinette rolled her eyes as she stood in position at the barre, ready to go as Angel walks through the doors.

 

“Ah, my stars! The prince and the swan! Odette, my dear, have you done your exercises today?” Angel came over and clasped her hands, smiling warmly as he greeted her. She smiled back and nodded.

 

“ _Ouí_ , Angel. Lennon and I also got in some practice dancing. Safely, of course; can’t break an ankle again!” She giggled, glancing back at Lennon. She hated having to pretend that she liked her partner, but she knew that Angel would throw a fit if they didn’t behave.

 

“Good, good! Go change into your costumes and come join us after. We need to begin the rehearsal,” Angel turned to the rest of the class, sweeping his arm out to address everyone. “Today will be our last day rehearsing in the studio! Starting tomorrow, we spend our time until the show on the stage!” A chorus of cheers and clapping rang out among the studio. Marinette nodded curtly and headed to the doors of the locker room. Lennon followed shortly, turning away to head to the men’s locker room. She quickly took her leotard off, laced up her white bedazzled bodice, pulled on her white tights and skirt, put her pointe shoes back on, and bounded out to the studio.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is about two days after the first chapter, just so you know! if there's a time jump, i'll post it up here.

Adrien threw his door open before the mail could even make it through the slot. The startled mailman dropped his delivery, muttering and kneeling down to pick them up.

 

“Oh, I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to startle you,” Adrien knelt down and helped him pick up the envelopes, his heart nearly pounding out of his chest as he spied the envelope which contained his tickets.

 

“You wouldn’t believe how many times that happens to me. Have a good day, sir!” The mailman handed the letter over and waved to Adrien as he walked down the hall to his next stop. Adrien shut his door and leaned against it, practically ripping the envelope in half to get to his tickets. This would make it the fourth time he’d gone to see Swan Lake, solely to see Odette play her stunning part. In two weeks, he would get to see the starlet glide across the stage, watch her blow everyone else away. He closed his eyes and smiled at the thought of how she captured the audience’s attention. How she captured his more than anyone else’s. He sighed and realized he couldn’t take it anymore.

 

He had to know who she was.

 

Adrien stepped quickly to his laptop, looking up the number for the studio hosting the production. His hand found his phone and his thumbs rapidly tapped the numbers in. He paced around his living room floor, biting his lower lip, as he waited for someone to pick up. Maybe he wanted to meet her in person. Maybe he just wanted to watch her practice. He had to come up with an idea as to why he wanted to see her.

 

“Royale Manor Dance Studio, how may I help you today?” A charmingly sweet voice picked up on the other end. Adrien swallowed, mouth dry, and started spouting out words.

 

“Hi, yes, my name is Adrien Agreste. I recently ordered tickets to your upcoming show and-“

 

“Oh, Mr. Agreste! How nice of you to give us a call.” The woman on the other end interrupted him. She sounded ten times perkier. “What can we do for you today?”

 

“Well, I, uh…I was wondering if…” He stuttered, trying to find the words, and blurted out the first thing that came to mind. “I was wondering if I could do a photo shoot with the cast of _Swan Lake_. It would make wonderful publicity for your studio and my company has been wanting to do a piece on arts and culture.”

 

“My, that sounds amazing! I’ll tell Monsieur Terrel as soon as I can. He’s a bit busy. Starting tomorrow, the cast is going to be practising dry runs at the opera house.”

 

“How wonderful! I’m very much looking forward to the performance. I do apologize, though, if this puts a bit of pressure on your company, but…we would need to do the exposé soon. Preferably before opening night.” Adrien winced, realizing how pushy he sounded.

 

“Oh my, well…that does put a certain amount of…er, _push_ on the dancers. I’ll-I’ll see what I can do. You _are_ one of our most loyal patrons.” Her voice dropped a few notches in pep, but she still managed to be cheery.

 

“Thank you, Madame…what’s your name?”

 

“Genevieve. Genevieve White.” He could practically hear the smile in her words.

 

“Thank you, Madame Genevieve. I hope to hear from you soon. You can call me at my personal number.” As he gave his cell phone number, Adrien wrote down a note to tell his company about the shoot they were apparently going to do.

 

“Thank you, Monsieur Agreste! I'll call you the second I have news.” Genevieve said warmly.

 

“I look forward to it. Have a nice day.” Adrien replied and hung up. He immediately dialed his manager’s number.

 

“Adrien, what can I do for you-“

 

“I know how to get you that exposé on culture and arts _and_ fill your photo shoot quota for the month.” He cut her off, wincing again at his pushy attitude. “Sorry, that was rude. I didn’t mean to interrupt, I just thought…” He trailed off, unsure how to finish that sentence.

 

“What do you have in mind?” Marie, his manager, asked flatly. He could practically see her rolling her eyes at him.

 

“Royale Manor Dance Studio. Their production of _Swan Lake_ is coming up, and they know I’m one of their most loyal patrons. I called ahead and told them about it and they’ll talk to Angel Terrel about it. They have my cell phone number, so they can get back to me when they need to, but I think this will work out well for everyone.”

 

“So you told them that we wanted to do this…even before _anyone_ at this agency knew we wanted to do this?”

 

“Yes...?” Adrien said, more of a question than an answer.

 

“You better hope they want to do this as bad as we apparently do. I’m sure Frank will be thrilled with the idea. Now, tell me something.”

 

“What?” Adrien asked, already sure he knew what the question was.

 

“Why do _you_ want to do this so bad?” Adrien sighed internally and ran a hand through his hair.

 

“ _I_ love the ballet. _You_ need an article. The ballet can always use all the publicity they can get, no matter how successful they regularly are.” He hoped it'd pass as an answer, but knew Marie could smell bullshit from a mile away. She was quiet for a moment before answering.

 

“Alright. I’ll talk to Frank. I’ll have the clothing team come up with the right stuff for you, makeup shouldn’t have too much trouble, and you…you just wait. I’ll let you know what the answer is.” Marie hung up and Adrien set his phone down for maybe ten seconds before it rang again.

 

“Adrien Agreste, how can I help you?” He answered, sitting down in his arm chair.

 

“Hi, Monsieur Agreste,” A familiarly cheery voice came through the speaker. “This is Genevieve White from Royale Manor Dance Studio. Am I interrupting anything?”

 

“No!” He practically yelled. “No, no, you’re not. Got good news for me?”

 

“I do! Monsieur Terrel wants you to come down tonight. He likes the idea of an article about the studio, and he wants to talk to you a bit and maybe introduce you to some of the dancers. You’d need to hurry, though, Monsieur Terrel will need to get back to teaching in a half hour. Can you make it?” Adrien had already put his coat on and was out the door as she asked him.

 

“Absolutely. I’ll be there in a few minutes.” Adrien hung up, bounded out the main doors, and hopped on his motorbike, zooming down the street with his heart racing as fast as his bike.

 

—————

 

As Adrien arrived in front of the studio, the summer sky painted dazzling pinks and purples, his heart pounded with each passing second. He made it to the studio in 5 minutes, realizing that he only lived three blocks away. After parking in the lot behind the studio, he placed a lock on his bike and tucked his helmet under his arm. As he prepared to go inside, Plagg flew up out of his coat pocket and perched himself on Adrien’s shoulder.

 

“Why do you always want to go to the stuffy ballet? It’s so boring. And why are we at a dance studio?” Plagg yawned and stared at the tip of his whisker.

 

“I happen to love the ballet, environment and all. And we’re here on business. Now get back in my pocket, I’ll give you some cheese later if you behave.” Adrien opened the pocket for his kwami to fly into, made sure Plagg was out of sight, and pushed the wood doors to the building open. Inside, it was air conditioned, obvious from the temperature difference from outside. There was overhead lighting despite the plethora of windows, a couch and two arm chairs surrounding a coffee table covered in dance magazines, wood flooring, and a large front desk with a skinny black haired woman sitting at a computer. As he walked in, the woman looked up, beamed at him, and walked over; she easily towered over Adrien, even if she was wearing heels.

 

“Welcome, Monsieur Agreste! I’m Genevieve, we spoke on the phone? We’re all _so_ grateful that you could come by so quickly on short notice. I’ll give you a quick tour on our way to Monsieur Terrel’s studio.” As they walked down the hall, the shelves of pictures of dance groups and medals won by different dancers from competitions glistened under the dazzling lights from the ceiling. They turned a corner and the walls switched from shelves of pictures to massive framed posters from some of their most successful shows. _Sleeping Beauty_ , _Swan Lake_ , _The Nutcracker_ , and _Giselle_ all caught his eye for the same reason; the blue-eyed mystery girl was always the lead. Genevieve was rattling off countless names of past dancers and teachers and competitions, but Adrien couldn’t stop thinking about the girl. Who was she? Jet black hair, dazzling sapphire eyes, strong form and physique. Should he ask Genevieve for her name? Should he point her out casually? Should he-

 

“Monsieur?” Genevieve’s voice broke his trance on one of the posters and his attention snapped back to her. They were standing at the end of a hall in front of two big black doors. The sign above them read, ‘ _La magie de la danse_ ,’ meaning, ' _The magic of dance._ ’ The words were engraved in a dark piece of wood, white cursive letters flowing across the surface. “Monsieur Agreste, we’re here. This is Monsieur Terrel’s studio. They’re inside, waiting on break. You may go in.” She pushed the door open slightly for him. His heart practically leapt into his throat as he nodded, smiled, and stepped inside.

 

Tall white walls and an equally large white ceiling with a massive skylight stretched above him, and the white lights glinted off of the black dance floor. One of the far walls was a mirror with a barre attached to it, with barres on two other walls. A piano sat near the corner in front of the mirror with a boombox on top of it. The wall he entered from had coat and bag hooks that were decorated with duffel bags and windbreakers, leg warmers and cardigans and slippers scattered underneath them. As he walked in, he saw a large group of dancers standing scattered in the room, facing the mirror wall and watching a man in a grey turtle neck and black leggings give directions for after their break. Their attention quickly shifted, though, as the man in the sweater grinned and clapped his hands together.

 

“Ah, here is our special guest! Everyone, please give a warm welcome to Adrien Agreste!” The dancers turned to face him, clapping and waving and cheering out hellos to him as they beamed. Adrien smiled and waved back, shaking a few hands and making his way over to the man. After getting to the front of the room with Monsieur Terrel, Adrien scanned the group for any signs of his mystery girl, but his train of thought was cut off yet again. “Monsieur Adrien has some exciting news for us, so I want all of you to listen and give him your full attention.” As Monsieur Terrel backed away, Adrien cleared his throat.

 

“Well, first of all, I’m a huge fan of your work. I became interested in the ballet when I went to the _Swan Lake_ performance when I was 18. I haven’t missed a performance since,” Adrien noticed his cheeks were starting to hurt from all the smiling he’d been doing while the clapping and cheering died down. “My company has been looking for a culture and arts article to write about, and I still need to get one more photoshoot in for the month. Now, me being a fan of the ballet, I contacted my manager and your company to see if they’d like to do a piece with some of your best dancers.” Excited gasps and chatter filled the room as the dancers realized what was going on.

 

“This is _big_ for us, people!" Monsieur Terrel addressed the dancers with a sweeping motion of his arms. "We will be holding auditions for the top five dancers to be in the shoot with Monsieur Adrien. Though, now that you’re here, we could practice in front of you and you can see our dancer's potentials for yourself.” Adrien nodded and turned his attention back to the crowd to look for his dancer.

 

“Monsieur Terrel,” A male dancer addressed the teacher and stepped forward from the side. The man was tall, a few inches taller than Adrien, and had swept back brown hair. A muscular, yet slim body completed the look of a dancer for him. “Will Odette and I be able to do the shoot regardless?” The name Odette caught Adrien’s attention and he looked to Angel.

 

“Lennon, I believe Odette is a given, considering she _is_ the lead, but she will still audition like the rest of you.” Everyone’s attention shifted to a second set of doors in the far corner of the studio as a young woman with shoulder length black hair and pale skin exited from what Adrien assumed was the locker room. She was decked out from head to toe in white, wearing tights, a skirt, bodice, shawl, and pointe slippers. Adrien’s heart nearly stopped as she looked up, shimmering blue eyes making his knees shake. “Ah, speaking of Odette. Monsieur Adrien, this is Marinette Dupain-Cheng, our ever-so famous Odette.”

 

Adrien’s mouth went dry, his heart raced, his mind went blank. All he saw was the stunning swan before him. She looked him in the eye, and he swore he could see a flash of something before she looked towards her teacher. It made him want to run over to her, shift her face to look at him, and stare into her eyes forever. As he stared at her, recognition pinged around in his mind. Marinette…that name sounded so familiar.

 

“Monsieur Agreste,” She curtsied to him, making his heart melt. “It is a pleasure to see you again.” _Again_? What did she mean _again_?

 

“You two know each other?” The man identified as Lennon spoke, an edge to his voice.

 

“Yes. We went to school together for a long time. I also know him from his modeling. You can’t go a day without seeing his face on the cover of thirty different magazines.” Her voice hid something, and he could almost see a slight blush on her cheeks as she smiled softly.

 

“Wonderful! Monsieur Adrien wants to do a photoshoot with our top five dancers, and, like I was just explaining to the others, you will have to audition as well. No special treatment.” Adrien finally pieced together the information he’d gathered in his mind. His best friend, Nino, dated Marinette’s best friend, Alya. He ate lunch with them. She was their class president for a long time. She'd won his father’s internship. “Monsieur Adrien will be sitting in on the rest of our class to help decide who he wants to model with. I’m giving you the rest of the break to talk with him individually, quickly, and then we will begin practice.” Angel snapped his fingers and the dancers seemed to almost trample each other to get in line. Adrien blinked out of his daze and mentally prepared himself for what would come next.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is a continuation from the last chapter, but now from marinette's point of view!

Marinette wiped the sweat off her forehead with a paper towel and took her hair out her bun. Rehearsal had tugged multiple strands out of place and she knew she’d need to do the whole bun over if it was going to stay in place for the rest of practice. Angel had called for a break and she took this time to relax a bit. Tikki had come out of her bag once all the other girls had left and was now sitting on her shoulder, helping hold the bobby pins.

 

“How’s practice going today?” Her voice, soft like a bell, warmed Marinette’s heart.

 

“Ah, it’s going well. I keep rolling back on my heels coming out of turns and Angel says I need to work on my facial expressions, but beyond that, I’m golden.” Marinette wiped away some smudged eyeliner and looked at Tikki in the mirror. “Angel says he has some exciting news for us. I wonder what it is.”

 

“Maybe he’s going to introduce a guest instructor.” Tikki offered a bobby pin as Marinette tied her hair back.

 

“I don’t know. This late in the production? Maybe he’s recasting Lennon’s part. I _really_ hope he’s recasting Lennon.” Marinette winced as she accidentally stabbed her scalp with the pin.

 

“Well, like you said, this late in the production? But a girl can hope.” Tikki flittered up and smoothed down some fly away hairs. “You better get back out there. Breaks aren’t always dilly-dallying.”

 

“You’re right. Thank you, Tikki! I’ll see you when it’s time to go home.” Marinette smiled as her kwami flew back into her spot in the bag. Marinette stretched, adjusted her bodice, and fixed her posture at the door, pushing them open and noticing all eyes on her.

 

“Ah, speaking of Odette. Monsieur Adrien, this is Marinette Dupain-Cheng, our ever-so famous Odette.” Angel gestured to her and smiled. Marinette glanced at the man standing next to their instructor and her heart nearly plummeted to her feet. It couldn’t be who she thought it was. As she studied his face more, she realized it is indeed Adrien Agreste, and simultaneously cursed out and thanked Angel in her head. She felt her eyes widen and her ears warm up a bit, but she gained her composure and curtsied, the only greeting that felt fit for someone like him.

 

“Monsieur Agreste,” She’d never felt so formal. “It is a pleasure to see you again.” She looked to Angel and then the floor, afraid to look at Adrien. Maybe she wasn’t as over her crush as she'd once thought.

 

“You two know each other?” Lennon’s jealousy-sharpened voice cut through her thoughts and she glanced at him, attempting to make her face as emotionless as possible while she threw daggers at him with her eyes.

 

“Yes. We went to school together for a long time. I also know him from his modeling. You can’t go a day without seeing his face on the cover of thirty different magazines.” She had to fight a giggle rising in her throat, a reflex from her middle school days. Her cheeks started to grow warm and she desperately tried to fight it. Looking at Lennon again, she could tell there’s more he wanted to say, but he wouldn’t.

 

“Wonderful! Monsieur Adrien wants to do a photoshoot with our top five dancers, and like I was just explaining to the others, you will have to audition as well. No special treatment.” So that’s what the big announcement was. Thrilling, a chance to embarrass herself in front of Adrien all over again. “Monsieur Adrien will be sitting in on the rest of our class to help decide who he wants to model with. I’m giving you the rest of the break to talk with him individually, quickly, and then we will begin auditions.” As soon as Angel snapped his fingers, the other dancers ran to the front and formed a line in front of Adrien. He sat in a chair and a girl, whom Marinette knew as Joan, plopped down in the chair across from him. Marinette moved up to the back of the line and Lennon sidled up beside her.

 

“How much time did you spend with him in school?” Lennon’s voice said quietly next to her.

 

“Not much. My best friend dated his best friend, I only ever spoke a few words to him. The same went for him. Even if I hadn’t gone to school with him, everyone knows who he is based on his modeling. Why do you ask?” Marinette peeked at him out of the corner of her eye, eyebrow raised slightly.

 

“Just trying to make sure you don’t have a leg up,” Not the answer she'd expected from Lennon. “And I wanted to make sure you weren’t cheating on me.” There’s the answer she had expected.

 

“Lennon, as I have told you time and _time again_ , I don’t date colleagues. And even if we didn’t work together,” Marinette hadn’t noticed how quickly the line was moving. She stepped back behind Lennon. “I wouldn’t date you. You’re not my type.”

 

“Why are you hiding from him? Do you have a crush on him?” Lennon dodged her explanation, noting her step back.

 

“I’m not hiding!” Her words came out louder than expected and caught the attention of some of the other dancers. Marinette cleared her throat, beginning with calmer words. “I’m _not_ hiding. And I don’t have a crush on him.”

 

“So you’re afraid.”

 

“No.”

 

“Then why are you avoiding him?”

 

“I’m _not_!” Marinette snapped at Lennon quietly, her hands balling into fists at her sides. He was testing her patience and she didn’t appreciate it. Lennon simply shrugged and moved to the chair for his interview. She avoided looking at the two men talking and instead moved back to stretch a bit. What kind of questions was he going to ask her? Would she stumble over her words like she used to? Why did she feel like jumping around and laughing but screaming and running away at the same time? Wh-

 

“Marinette!” Someone called her name and brought her out of her trance. She turned to the voice and found shimmering green eyes staring at her. “Marinette, it’s your turn.” Hearing Adrien say her name made her mind spin.

 

“Y-Yes, I know.” She swallowed and swept her skirt under her, sitting down and crossing her legs. As bad as she wanted to look at Adrien, the sequin on her skirt seemed to be so much more fascinating.

 

“Marinette, it’s good to see you again. How are you?” The kindness in his voice shook her spine. She looked at him, finally studying his face up close. He had slight stubble on his cheeks, and despite all the smiling he'd done in his modeling pictures, there were no wrinkles anywhere on his face. He was slightly tan, but she couldn’t tell if it was fake or from the summer sun. His lips looked especially so soft and-

 

“I’m good.” She pushed the words out of her mouth, worried she hasn’t said anything for a while. “And you?”

 

“I’m good as well. I thought you wanted to be a fashion designer. How’d you become a ballerina?” She shrugged, fiddling with her earrings.

 

“It always fascinated me. It’s so elegant and gentle, but striking and scary and hard at the same time. It’s always been a big part of my life.” She felt a smile creep across her face as the warmth from her passion spread across her body and she fought the urge to keep talking about ballet.

 

“Did you just drop the fashion designer dream?” He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. God, she just wanted to grab his face and kiss him.

 

“Goodness, no. I design and create my costumes and outfits for premiere events, sometimes for my colleagues as well, and I sell my work to clothing stores as well.” Adrien moved his chair a little closer. Marinette screamed internally, but stayed composed with her usual perfect posture.

 

“That’s amazing! You’re really making a life for yourself. Do your parents still run the bakery?” His smile could put the sun to shame.

 

“Yeah, they do. They’ve gotten a fair amount of business lately.” Did he ask the other dancers these questions?

 

“That’s wonderful. So, uh, do you have any questions?” Was that it? Marinette couldn’t believe that was all he had to ask her.

 

“Um…aren’t you going to ask me about my strong suits? My skills? Anything like that?”

 

“No, I’ve seen you perform. I’ve seen every performance you’ve done. I just didn’t know it was you.” Marinette’s heart fluttered and she fought her face’s instinct to blush.

 

“What do you mean you didn’t know it was me?”

 

“I’ve seen all the posters and such for the shows, but they never showed your name. I didn’t know it was you.” Did he mean that he’d only gone to the shows she was in? Marinette shook the thought from her mind, scolding herself for being so self centered. “I ordered a poster for _Swan Lake_ a while ago. It’s my favorite show.”

 

“That’s good to hear. Everyone puts so much effort into it. I’m always stunned by the corps de ballet. They go through _so_ much and they rarely get any recognition. I try to make them get to the front of the farewell after each show.” Marinette didn’t realize she was smiling until she glanced at herself in the mirror wall. She bit her lip and turned back to Adrien, who she found staring at her with something playing behind his eyes.

 

—————

 

Adrien always knew Marinette was selfless. She was a fantastic president and was very warm with others, and was strong socially. With him, however, she was never able to string a sentence together properly. Marinette was now looking at him, gentle eyes looking into his, and he could almost see a bit of panic in them.

 

“Are you nervous?”

 

“About what?” Her words didn’t sound snobby. Some of the other girls had played too much confidence and narcissism in their answers.

 

“I don’t know. The show? What I’m doing here?” He waved his hands in a small gesture to the class around them and leaned back in his seat.

 

“I’m always nervous in the weeks before a show, but I have no idea what exactly you’re here for. Why did you want to do this anyway?” Her mouth tugged up in a small half smile. Adrien found himself desperately wanting to see more of it.

 

“My magazine needs to fill their quota, and I thought you guys could always use a little more publicity. More money isn’t a bad thing, you know?” What was he saying? He hated thinking of money as a high priority. He wanted to tell her the real reason he was there, that he wanted to know who she was and he wanted to meet her and he wanted to hold her and grow old with her. But could you really want to do all that with someone you’ve only seen a picture of?

 

“We could always use more students coming in. I know Angel has been wanting to expand to another building across town.” Adrien followed her gaze to monsieur Terrel, who was talking with a brunette girl who was a bit shorter than him. Adrien turned his gaze back to Marinette, lost in how much she cared for others before herself. He wanted to say something, but Angel beat him to it.

 

“Alright! Break’s over, let’s start the dry run!” Clapping his hands together, Angel gathered the dancers in the middle of the room. Marinette gave a small smile before picking her shawl up off her lap and joining the other dancers. Adrien stayed seated, amazement gathering inside him. “Let’s go, places! Let’s practice the scene where the prince sees the swan. Odette! Get ready!”

 

Marinette wrapped her white shawl back around her shoulders, kneeling down with one leg extended in front of her. Her head went down, almost resting on her outstretched leg, arms covering the sides of her head. Angel moved over next to Adrien and put a CD in a boombox. As soon as he clicked play, a gentle clarinet fills the room. He turned his gaze to Marinette, watching her sit up and extend her arms to her sides, waving them in soft fluid motions. Slowly, her eyes fluttered open, and she pushed up off her leg and stood on the tips of her shoes. Marinette spun and jumped and dipped, all fluid motions and fluttering shawl. _Like a swan_ , he thinks.

 

Lennon stepped into view, the prince he guessed, and they both watched in awe as Marinette dropped her shawl, the bright white costume underneath somehow becoming even more dazzling. She started, having been seen by the prince, but he ran to her and held her waist, lifting her in the air and holding her arms as she raised a leg behind him. He spun her, hands gliding over her waist, and he let go. She floated across the room in little steps, flat footed then tip toes and back down again. Adrien felt as if his breath was stolen, wonder shocking him to his core. Harps swelled with violins, timpani belting out echoing beats in the room. He watched Marinette’s skirt flow and bellow, the fabric looking like it could be made of air.

 

And suddenly it was over. Lennon and Marinette held each other, her hands on his shoulders and his fingers gripping her bodice, one delicate leg raised in the air and hooking behind her body. He felt a pang of sadness, both for the fact that the dance was over and the fact that Lennon got to hold her like that. The dancers bowed to each other and Marinette picked her shawl up, making a quick glance in Adrien’s direction. A shock jolted his spine as he smiled back at her, throwing a little wave at her. Her eyes snapped forward and she looked rigid, but a smile played at the corner of her mouth.

 

“That was beautiful! Marinette, but you’re still falling back on your heels. You need to work on that, but otherwise, it was beautiful.” Angel boomed, stopping the music track and resting his hands on his hips. “Monsieur Adrien, what did you think? Good, no?”

 

“It was beautiful. It’s one thing to see it on stage, but to see it raw and in practice, before anyone else…I can’t describe how thrilled I am to be here.” Adrien watched Marinette for a response, watching the slightest blush make its way across her cheeks and ears.

 

"Wonderful! Everyone, I'm going to release you a little bit early. If you'd like to stay and practice more, you can, but it doesn't mean extra points for the magazine. It is pretty late, and I'd like you all rested up. Thank you for a beautiful practice today!" When Angel had finished speaking, the dancers all yelled out scattered 'thank you's' and 'goodbye's' before they made their way to the locker rooms. “You like her, yeah?” Angel sidled up next to Adrien, lowering his voice so they could have a private conversation. Adrien felt his cheeks heat up and his eyes fell to the floor as he nodded slightly. "Have you told her?"

 

"No, she'd never like me that way. She's so incredible and I'm just..." Adrien shrugged, rubbing the back of his neck.

 

"Do you think she's shallow?" Angel asked, causing Adrien to shake his head profusely.

 

"God, no, she's one of the most generous and caring people I've ever known. She's never cared what anyone's looked like. If they need help, she's there." Adrien watched Marinette as she encouraged one of the other dancers and guided her on a dance step. "She's as far from shallow as anyone can get."

 

"Then why wouldn't she date you? You're a handsome boy, and you're just as caring and far-from-shallow as she is. Do you not think you should hold more confidence in yourself?" Angel put his hand on Adrien's shoulder and squeezed gently. "You need to look up more. You never see the possibilities when you're always looking down on yourself."

 

"Yeah," Adrien muttered as Angel moved on to look at his notes for the day. "That's a good point. You're right."


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> bum ba da bummmm!!! things will be picking up soon, so let's just wait and see what happens hoo boy hoo boy
> 
> and this is the day after that last chapter just so ya know

Adrien came back the next day and sat in the corner, camped out at the front of the room with Angel, pointing at dancers and scribbling notes down on a clipboard. Angel would keep smiling and talking to Adrien, bursting out with laughter or nudging him with his elbow. Every so often, Marinette caught Adrien watching her. In fact, she seemed to be the only one he was watching. She knew she should be paying attention to the dance, but Adrien's reflection in the mirror was so cute. Marinette only realized she'd missed a step when Angel stopped the music, calling her name out.

 

"Marinette! What was that? You completely skipped the turn out, and you almost ran into Elisa," He waved a hand towards a petite girl with short red hair. Elisa shrugged at her, Marinette smiling sheepishly and whispering an apology, and turned back to face Angel. "I need my Odette to focus. Come on, you've _got_ this."

 

"Yes, Angel, I'm sorry. I'll do better." Marinette took a deep breath and prepared for the scene where Odile seduced the prince, therefore condemning Odette to a life as a swan. Lennon sauntered up to her, smirking, and leaned in close.

 

"Aw, baby, am I distracting you?" The smugness in his voice made her want to puke.

 

" _Hardly_. To err is human. I roll back coming out of turns, you can't keep your leg straight, people mess up. It can be fixed." Marinette's voice was icy as she pushed Lennon away with her finger gently; if she were to look at him, he would probably freeze over.

 

"You seem cold," He said, almost reading her mind. "Maybe I should warm you up after practice." Lennon stepped closer and Marinette jabbed a finger in his chest, pushing him back away from her again, harder this time.

 

"Go to your place. You're supposed to doom me now, remember?" She looked up at him, hoping he could read the pleading look in her eyes for him to go to his spot. It seemed to do the trick, and Lennon backed away with a smile pulling one corner of his mouth up. Marinette stood over on the sidelines with the corps de ballet, watching Elisa and Lennon take their places in the wings as Rothbart stood ready in the center. The music started, swelling, and Rothbart glided across the floor, disappearing as Elisa and Lennon meet. Odile and the prince, dancing and jumping, Lennon hoisting Elisa into the air as her legs kicked apart. She was doing a beautiful job, and Marinette knew she needed to focus, but she kept looking at Adrien in the mirror. She felt his eyes on her, but he wasn't looking in the mirror so she could at least get away with that. She took the time to study him, look at how he'd come along all these years.

 

He must go to the gym regularly, hence his toned arms poking out of his gray t-shirt. His black skinny jeans hugged his legs so wonderfully. His jawline seemed to be more formed and his cheekbones more defined, eyes brighter and hair somewhat darker. Marinette wanted to hold his hands so bad, and the way he was twisting the ring on his right hand was interesting. It was like a subconscious habit, like Marinette's habit of fiddling with her earrings. Marinette found herself day dreaming about after practice, finding Adrien waiting outside the locker room, waiting for her...

_//////////_

_Marinette's hair tumbles down out of the towel, fresh and clean from her after-practice shower. She's changed into a pair of dark jeans, rolled halfway up her calves, and a thin plain white t-shirt. Her hair hangs around her face in wet tresses, and she makes a face at herself in the mirror. Alone in the locker room, she blowdries her hair and brushes it down, touching up her eyeliner and mascara before grabbing her duffel bag and leaving._

_"Marinette," A hand grabs her wrist, pulling her back, and Marinette turns and prepares to yell at Lennon. But it's not Lennon holding her arm in a gentle grip. It's Adrien._

_"A-Adrien!" Marinette stutters, feeling her cheeks blaze as her skin becomes hyperaware of Adrien's fingers brushing against her skin as he lets go. "What's-what's wrong?"_

_"Marinette, I..." Adrien keeps his head down, mumbling, holding her hand. His thumb draws tiny circles over her middle and ring fingers, stepping closer to her slowly. "Marinette, I always liked you." Her heart stops, ears practically bursting into flames, and her mind races to comprehend what he just said._

_"W-W- **What**?" She chokes out, her back thumping softly agains the wall as he continues to move closer. "What d-do you mean?"_

_"I mean," He finally looks at her and she sees his face is as red as hers. "I **always** liked you. From the day I lent you my umbrella, to the first time I saw you dance on stage. I can't get you out of my mind." At some point, Marinette dropped her bag on the floor and Adrien took both her hands. Marinette half closes her eyes, her focus flitting back and forth between his shimmering green eyes and his lips._

_"I've always liked you, too," Marinette finds herself admitting. She's lost in his eyes, his words, the heat from his body and his breath on her skin. "From the day you lent me your umbrella, to right now." She can sees he wants to do something, but he's scared. She squeezes his hand gently, giving him permission._

_"Do you know what it's like seeing you again?" He says, breathy, bracing one hand against the wall next to her head._

_"I do. I really, **really** do." She says, biting her lip and praying he makes a move._

_"Can I kiss you?" He stares intensely into her eyes._

_"Please do." She says, and he closes the gap between them. His lips are as soft as they look and she feels herself getting drunk off of them. His hands slide up her arms, one moving up to hold her neck while the other finds its way under the hem of her shirt. Her skin ignites as his fingers brush against her stomach. She kisses back, holding his face and licking his lower lip. Their mouths part, tongues meeting and bodies pressing together. Marinette laces her fingers through Adrien's hair, tugging gently and kissing him harder. He picks her up and plants her back against the wall, wrapping her legs around his waist, and he kisses her jawline. Her shirt rides up. exposing her stomach more, and Adrien works his hands over her skin. Marinette leans her head back as he kisses her neck, her mind racing as she pants._

_//////////_

Marinette snapped back to reality as her part came up, the damnation of the swan, and she swooned. As she collapsed on the floor and her shawl drifted down on top of her, she mentally scolded herself for losing focus and almost missing her cue. She never got distracted, not even by Lennon and his annoying flirting. She watched out of the corner of her eye as the scene ended and she got up, dusting off her skirt. Angel talked with Adrien some more and then stopped the music, turning to the dancers.

 

"Alright, everyone, that was fantastic. Let's critique. Lennon, work on bringing your leg up more in the third arabesque. Marinette, work on your timing and stop falling back on your heels! Willow, focus on a straighter back. Jenna, work on..." Angel's voice melted into the background as Marinette felt Adrien's eyes on her. She snuck a glance in his direction, making direct eye contact with him. Her eyes darted forward but returned, and she found him smiling at her. The class shuffled off to the locker rooms and Lennon slung his arm around her shoulders, knocking her out of her trance.

 

"What was _that_?" He stared down at Marinette, either irritation or genuine worry in his eyes.

 

"What do you mean?" Marinette kept her back and words stiff.

 

"You know exactly what I mean. You were lost in thought or whatever you were thinking of and you started blushing really hard. You almost messed up. A lot." Lennon removed his arm from her shoulders and stood with her in the hall, looking her in the eyes and almost glaring at her. "It's _him_ , isn't it?"

 

" _No_ , Lennon, it is _not_ Adrien." His jaw tensed when she said Adrien's name. "Will you stop? You _aren't_ my boyfriend. You need to _stop_ being so possessive over me! _I don't belong to you_!" Marinette huffed, shoving the locker room doors open and taking her hair down. She was aware the girls had probably heard her in the hall, but Marinette simply took off her costume and got into the shower. She stayed in for a long time, listening to the sounds of the other girls gathering their things, shutting lockers, and the loud slamming of the locker doors. She shut the water off, stepping out and drying herself off with a towel. She put her hair in the towel and got dressed in a thin plain white t-shirt and dark jeans rolled halfway up her calves. She blowdried her hair, touched up her eyeliner and mascara, grabbed her duffel bag, and stepped out.

 

No one was waiting for her.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ho ho HO, guess who's actually updating this fic again
> 
> is it annoying when i give the names of songs and bands in these chapters? or do you like them?

"I don't know, Tikki," Marinette mumbled as she watered her flowers on her balcony. "I probably looked like an idiot." She hadn't been able to get that day's practice out of her head; the way Lennon had been so territorial, how Adrien had just been watching her, how Adrien had caught Marinette watching him. The kwami moved with her as they passed each plant, sticking a fertilizer stick in the soil next to the roots before they were watered.

 

"I wish you'd brought your bag into the studio! You know I love watching you dance, and I think it would have been kinda nice to see how you two interact." Tikki smiled at Marinette, who snorted and raised an eyebrow at her friend.

 

"Yeah, you'd get to watch me miss my cue, be caught creeping, and snap at Lennon," Marinette sighed. She set her watering can down and moved to her front door to slip on her sneakers. "But he deserved that."

 

"Doesn't he always? He doesn't know how take no as an answer." Tikki perched herself on the counter as the dancer grabbed her keys from their spot next to Tikki and put them in her pocket. She plugged her earbuds into her iPod and set her playlist on shuffle.

 

"You're telling me. I'll see you in a little bit, just going for a run." Marinette pulled her hair pack into a ponytail and put one earbud in, clipped her iPod to the hem of her sports bra, and pulled her workout jacket on. Tikki zipped over and hugged Marinette's cheek, said a quick goodbye, and the dancer exited her apartment. After adjusting her sneakers, she set off to the lobby. As she went along, she waved to her neighbors and played a quick game of peekaboo with a baby in a stroller while his mother brought groceries inside before making it to the elevator and down to the lobby. As Marinette stepped outside, the cool air of the summer evening enveloped her and she took a deep breath in. She could smell the roses the flower shop across the street was selling, hear the birds singing as they flittered to their nests for the night, and she smiled. Hitting play on her iPod, Marinette put the other earbud in and set off on her jog.

 

Despite the fact that she had spent her whole life in Paris, the beauty of the city of love never ceased to amaze her. Her music switched on as she passed over the _Pont des Arts_ , keeping her breathing steady, and she hummed along with the song. When she came toward the street corner with _Café de Flore_ , she noticed an all too familiar face jogging towards her. Rolling her eyes with a groan, she turned the corner to try and avoid Lennon, but he'd already seen her and quickly caught up with her. Knowing that ignoring Lennon didn't deter him, Marinette pulled an earbud out and continued jogging.

 

"Well now, fancy _running_ into you here," Lennon panted out, chuckling at his bad pun. "How come I've never seen you on my route?"

 

"There's construction along one part of my route, and I typically run a little after sunset, but it felt so nice today. I didn't realize this was part of your route." Marinette sighed as the pair stopped at a street corner, waiting for traffic to allow them through. She jogged in place, not wanting to let her momentum go. Lennon had stopped, resting against the lamp post and taking a drink from his water bottle. Marinette calculated where she could turn away from him and get to the end of her usual route and loop back to her apartment. The last thing she wanted was Lennon following her and discovering where her apartment was.

 

"I'm so glad you happened to drop in, though," Lennon smirked and slung his arm around her shoulders, a habit of his that she despised. "How much longer is your route? Maybe I can join you for the rest of it." Marinette turned her face away and grimaced while she peeled his arm off her shoulders. The traffic stopped, allowing them to cross, and she started to run again, a little faster than before.

 

"I don't know if you could handle it, dude." Marinette huffed as Lennon matched her pace again, running a little too close for her comfort.

 

"Try me, babe."

 

"Do _not_ ," Marinette spat through gritted teeth. "Call me 'babe'. I'm not your _babe_."

 

"Not yet," Lennon's hand snaked around her waist, making her tank top rub uncomfortably against her skin.

 

"Okay, seriously, leave me alone. I have to finish my run." Marinette hissed and veered around the street corner they almost passed, catching her annoying colleague off guard. Seeing the dance studio coming into view, knowing her run was almost over, Marinette let out a sigh of relief. She took the opportunity to start sprinting up the sidewalk and over the crosswalk, just before the cars started to move again. She looked over her shoulder to see a sweating, red-faced Lennon come to the crosswalk and slump his shoulders defeatedly. Marinette laughed in triumph, grinning as she came up to the corner in front of the studio, but her relief was short lived as she slammed into someone at full speed. The two bounced off each other, collapsing to the ground in a pile of painful groaning and aching contact points. Marinette pushed herself up onto her elbows, rubbing her forehead where it had hit off of something plastic, and took her earbuds out as another song started to play and tucked them into her pocket. After blinking a few times, she finally saw who she'd run into: a man in a motorbike jacket and helmet was attempting to stand up, rubbing his back and stretching his arm to the side. His motorbike had been tipped over and one of the side view mirrors was bent towards the bike. A group of people had gathered to see what had happened, a few people coming over and asking if they were alright and trying to help them up.

 

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine," Marinette winced as someone helped her up and squeezed a sore spot on her arm. She thanked the person who had helped her up and went over to help her poor victim. "I am _so_ sorry, I wasn't focusing, it was all my fault, and-"

 

"It's okay, nothing's broken!" A familiar voice stopped her rambling, and she looked up at the man. He took his helmet off and shook his hair out, revealing Adrien Agreste to be whom she'd run into. Marinette felt her body go cold while her face burned. Suddenly, she didn't know what to do with her hands that were still holding his arm.

 

"A-Adrien! I-I'm so sorry, I had no clue that-that it was you! I wasn't even watching where I-I was going, and I knocked o-over your bike, and I'll pay for _any_ damages, I promise!" Marinette babbled, darting her eyes away from the gentle green ones looking into hers. "A-Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

 

"Yeah, I'm fine," He said, eyes going to look her over and widening as they fell on her forehead. "But you're bleeding! Oh, jeez, you hit your head off my helmet pretty hard, huh?" Marinette blinked, tapping her forehead with her fingers and bringing them down to see the red liquid dotted on her finger tips.

 

"O-Oh man, I guess I did! Uh," She darted over and attempted to pick his bike up, only to struggle a bit picking it up. "I-I was gonna pick this back up, b-but it's a little..."

 

"Heavy, yeah!" Adrien laughed softly as he took the handlebars from her and hoisted it back on the kickstand. "Do you live nearby? Can I give you a ride?"

 

"I do, but I-I don't want to be too much trouble." Marinette looked up to see traffic had stopped at the crosswalk, allowing Lennon to start moving towards them. She knew he saw them when his furrowed brow turned into a glare and he picked up the pace. Luckily, there were still quite a bit of people on the sidewalk, slowing him down.

 

"It's all good, I can give you a ride!" Marinette swallowed her pride, not wanting to deal with Lennon again, and turned to Adrien again.

 

"Actually, I'd _really_ appreciate a ride!" His smile widened a bit and his shoulders lifted as she accepted his offer, and her heart began to pound against her rib cage. "I live at _Marines de Cogolin End_ , just a few blocks up the road, thought I don't think traffic is going to allow us to go the quick way."

 

"No problem. I just don't have a second helmet." Adrien straddled his motorbike and offered the space of seat behind him for Marinette, who warily climbed on.

 

"I-It's fine, you wear it." She swallowed, watching as Lennon started to break through the crowd. Adrien nodded and offered her his hand for balance as she settled in. "I-I've never ridden one of these, though. I'm a little nervous." She jumped a bit as Adrien turned the engine to the bike over, revving it a bit.

 

"It's okay, just hold onto me and you'll be fine," Adrien assured her before he put his helmet on. Marinette took a deep breath, pressing a little closer to him and beginning to wrap her shaky hands around him. She smelled the leather of his jacket, the deep and smoky scent of his cologne, and the exhaust from his bike. They were all somehow fitting scents for Adrien.

 

"R-Really?" She stuttered, unsure if she should really hold onto him. She yelped suddenly and pulled her arms around Adrien's waist as he released the kickstand and the bike tilted to the side. " _O-Okay_!" She tucked her head down a bit and pressed against him as they took off, melding into traffic. She opened her eyes and looked back at the corner as Lennon burst through the crowd. He scowled, turning the corner and jogging away from the studio. She let out a sigh of relief and looked forward, listening to the thunderous rumble of the bike as they zipped down the streets. The sun had set more, darkness covering the city while the stars began to dot the deep blue sky. The lights from the stores and strings of fairy lights tangled in the trees created an almost heavenly blurry glow. Her hair flew behind her in the wind that whipped deafeningly over her ears. A smile crept across her cheeks, pulling with it an excited laugh from the bottom of her stomach. She leaned her head back, laughing and whooping with delight as the excitement of riding the bike coursed through her. When they slowed to stop at an intersection, Adrien looked over his shoulder at her and smiled.

 

"See? It's not that scary!" He shouted and laughed as she nodded, hugging him.

 

"You're right! I _love_ this!" Marinette couldn't help but giggle and stretch her arms above her head.

 

"Take your hair down," Adrien yelled back at her, preparing to take off again as cars around them started to move. "It feels even better. We'll be at your place soon, by the way!" The dancer nodded and pulled the hair tie out of her hair, only to have an undercurrent of air blow it out of her hand and onto the street behind them as they moved forward. She shrugged it off and wrapped her arms around the model again, leaning her head back as the wind ran through her hair. They rounded a corner and Marinette recognized the shop fronts, knowing they were only a block away from her house. Her heart sank, knowing this moment would end in just a minute. Sighing, she pressed her forehead against his back, suddenly realizing what was happening.

 

 _I'm riding on a motorbike_ , she thought, _hugging Adrien fucking Agreste...and I probably look crazy._

 

As they came to her apartment building, stopping out front, she frantically smoothed her hair down, hoping she didn't look too scary, and nearly fell on her face as she dismounted. Adrien stopped the engine, popped out the kickstand, and took his helmet off. He smoothed his hair down as well, though Marinette would argue that it still looked perfect, and he started to get off the bike.

 

"Do you want me to walk you upstairs and help you with your forehead?" He offered, setting his helmet on the handlebars and leaning against the side of his bike.

 

"Ah, n-no! Thank you, but I just live on the fifth floor, and there's an elevator, so it's not a big deal!" Marinette blurted out, turning to go into the building before trotting over to Adrien again. "T-Thank you for, um, for the ride. I really appreciated that."

 

"Yeah, no problem. Just call me the next time you're running from someone again, okay?" Marinette's face burned as she looked up at him through her bangs.

 

"You _saw_ that?"

 

"Yeah, I uh," The model rubbed the back of his neck and sniffed, looking to the ground and back to Marinette. "I was just coming out of a coffee shop, and I saw you running from that guy from your ballet production. I didn't have a good feeling, and when I was gonna see if you needed a ride, you kinda-"

 

"R-Ran into you, yeah." Marinette laughed nervously. "It's fine, he does that and I push him off and I just hope _I_ get here before _he_ does."

 

"You don't want him knowing where you live?" Adrien cocked his head to the side as the dancer ran a hand through her wind swept hair.

 

"He annoys me enough in practice, you know? I don't really need him doing it at my home, too." She attempted a reassuring smile and noticed a worried look on his face. He looked like he wanted to say something else, but the two of them stood there, not saying anything. Finally, Adrien broke the silence by clearing his throat.

 

"W-Well, I should let you go. You need your rest for dance." His smile warmed Marinette inside out, and she couldn't help but smile back.

 

"Yeah. Thank you, again, I really can't thank you enough."

 

"It's not a problem." Marinette turned to go into her building, but Adrien stopped her as she reached for the door. "Hey, Mari?" His nickname for her made her heart flutter.

 

"Y-Yeah?" She tucked her hair behind her ear, turning to him, and moved out of the way of a delivery man.

 

"This doesn't mean you have a leg-up with the article," Adrien teased, winking at her before putting his helmet back on. She watched as he got back on his bike, started it up, and disappeared into the dark city street. Her heart pounding in her ears and against her ribcage, Marinette stood at the door watching his tail lights until she couldn't tell which were his anymore.

 

"Y-Yeah..." She whispered to herself, blushing as a smile spread across her face, and she turned to go into her building. Catching the elevator before the door closed, she leaned against the wall with her hand pressed against her cheek. She pressed the button for the fifth floor and closed her eyes, trying to relive the evening before the other occupant of the elevator interrupted her thoughts.

 

"Uh...miss?" A young woman's voice brought Marinette back to reality and she turned to face the teenaged girl with bright pink hair. "You're bleeding..." The girl gestured to her forehead, only then reminding the dancer of the cut on her forehead. She whipped her head around to look in the reflective wall of the elevator, mildly horrified to see the blood on her forehead dried in a splattered pattern because of the wind. When the elevator got to her floor, she dashed out of the elevator and practically tore down her door getting in. Marinette leaned her back against it, sliding down to sit on the floor, and Tikki flittered over to her.

 

"Marinette! What happened? You've got blood _all_ over your forehead, and your hair looks like a rat's nest! Are you okay?" She rested on Marinette's knee, worry etched all over her tiny face.

 

"Oh, Tikki," Marinette beamed, rubbing her tired eyes. "I have _so_ much to tell you."


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> guys i just really love the idea of adrien thinking about marinette a lot, sue me

Adrien entered his apartment floating on cloud 9, a weightless and feathery feeling in his stomach as he replayed the evening's events over and over. Granted, he skipped the beginning where Marinette was running away from Lennon and blocked out the look of mild annoyance and slight fear on her face, but the motorbike ride had his heart thumping wildly every time he thought about the dancer holding onto him.

 

He shut his door, grinning wildly, and tossed his keys into the change dish next to the front door. He removed his jacket and hung it up on the hook, placed his helmet on a hook as well, and took his shoes off by the door. He bounced around his apartment as he took out a plate and some camembert for his kwami. He placed it on the counter as Plagg flew into the room, smelling his snack being set out, and immediately noticed the irritating air of happiness surrounding his master. Rolling his eyes, Plagg settled in for the answer to his question.

 

"Do I _want_ to know why you're waltzing around here like you're high?" The black cat sighed and swallowed his mouthful of cheese.

 

"You can't complain since you asked me about it," Adrien said over his shoulder, an eyebrow raised at Plagg.

 

"Damn, I don't know that I'm willing to make a deal like that." Plagg mumbled.

 

"Well, too late, you're getting an answer," The model grinned as he padded down the hall to his room. His kwami followed lazily behind him as he started the shower. "I ran into Marinette. Rather, _she_ ran into _me_ , but she was running away from Lennon-"

 

"Who?"

 

"Marinette, the girl I went to school with? She's the ballerina I'm working with?"

 

"No, I know who _she_ is. You never shut up about her," Plagg growled, rolling his eyes. "Who's Lennon?"

 

"Oh," Adrien's brow furrowed as he thought about the look of anger Lennon had thrown his way after picking Marinette up. "Lennon is a colleague of Marinette's. He's the prince in Swan Lake. He doesn't seem like a good person."

 

"Hm," Plagg grunted.

 

"Anyways, she was running away from Lennon and ended up running right into me. I offered her a ride on my motorbike, dropped her off at her apartment, and then came back here." Adrien bit the inside of his cheek to try and stop the smile already melting across his face from spreading even more.

 

"So...you're happy because...she ran into you? What, are you a masochist?" The kwami snorted and drifted over to sit on the bathroom sink as Adrien stripped to get into the shower. "Man, all your passion for fighting bad guys makes much more sense now."

 

"Pfft, you wish," Adrien scoffed as he got into the shower. The lukewarm water cascaded down his shoulders and soaked his hair, soothing the ache that was creeping onto his side where Marinette had hit him. He fought a giggle as he thought about the way her hands had wrapped around him so tightly when they took off. His cheeks burned as his mind started to move her hands _further down_ than they originally had been.

 

"So, wait," Plagg flittered around the outside of the curtain. "You like _this_ girl? What happened to your crush on Ladybug?" Adrien sighed as he washed his face, rubbing his eyes as he rinsed the soap off.

 

"I mean, it's still there. I'm just trying to be more...realistic. Ladybug has her own thing going on. I don't know every detail of her life, but if something or someone serious is in it, I don't want to get in the way. We're friends, and as long as she's happy, I am, too." He smiled, feeling a pang of heartache, but knowing he meant every word.

 

"Ugh, I think I might puke," The kwami imitated a gag and Adrien rolled his eyes as he started to shampoo his hair. "At least you're settling on one girl."

 

"Yeah, whatever. Your only romantic interest is the grossest smelling cheese I've ever been around." He made an over-exaggerated gagging noise to mock Plagg and laughed to himself. He rinsed his hair and put conditioner in, letting it sit as he washed his body.

 

"Is tonight your patrol with Ladybug?" The black cat changed the subject, curling up on top of Adrien's towel and yawning.

 

"Yeah, so get ready to go in a little bit," Adrien sucked in a breath and winced as his hand pressed too hard against his hip, hitting a sore spot. He moved over it tentatively and finished washing the rest of his body. "Did you eat all your cheese?"

 

"You really have to ask that?" Plagg replied as he patted his stomach.

 

\----

 

Adrien stood on the roof of his apartment building, making sure he was hidden behind the little shack that covered the door to the building before transforming. He stepped out and stretched, the leather squeaking as it rubbed together slightly. He looked up at the night sky, pitch black with small starry dots and the massive silvery glowing moon. He took out his baton and launched himself off the roof, heading towards their usual meet up spot on top of the central bank. As usual, Ladybug was already there. He watched her for a second, noticing her doing stretches that looked strangely familiar.

 

Her back looked straighter than normal and her left leg was extended with pointed toes. She used the guard rail around the perimeter of the roof to hold onto while she bent her other leg, lowering herself slowly and rising back up. Her hands were daintily positioned, and Adrien finally recognized that they were ballet hands. She was practicing ballet stretches. His head cocked to the side as he continued to watch her as she changed into different positions. He felt as if he'd seen this somewhere before, not just from the ballet practices in general, but the way she was doing it...someone did it the same way. His attention snapped back to her instead of his own thoughts and he advanced towards Ladybug with a hearty hello and a wave. She jumped a bit, rolled back onto her heels, and waved back. Adrien shook most of the feeling of familiarity off and bounded over.

 

"Hey, Chat! How are you?" Ladybug chirped, seemingly much happier than she had been the last time they met.

 

"My, my, finally getting happy to see me?" Adrien joked, sidling up to her and throwing his arm around her shoulder. Her eyes flashed annoyance, but it quickly vanished.

 

"Oh, Chaton, I'm always happy to see you. Not how you'd like it to mean, but still." She hummed and stepped out from under his arm, unhooking her yoyo from her waist and twirling it as she walked away.

 

"So, what has my lady so happy?" Adrien implored, leaning forward at the waist and stepping towards her. Her cheeks became a bit redder and her eyes misted over a bit. Admittedly, it stung a bit to know that she wasn't this enamored over him, but he was still content seeing her so happy.

 

"Just...a guy..." Adrien swallowed the lump in his throat and kept listening. "He kind of pulled a Prince Charming moment and saved me from this dude who was chasing me, and-"

 

"Ladybug! Why didn't you call me? I know you can handle yourself, but I still could have helped you!" Adrien blurted out.

 

"Well, it's not like I can just transform into Ladybug and call you right then and there!" She laughed as he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. Her smile faded and she spoke before being interrupted. "I know what you're going to say, and-"

 

"It's not like we have to keep it hidden anymore. I don't care who you are underneath the mask!" Adrien pressed, heart rate quickening as Ladybug furrowed her brow and looked towards the ground. "I'm...I'm _not_ going to force you, but..." He didn't know how to finish the sentence, letting the words hang in the air.

 

"I _know_ that Hawk Moth is gone. I _know_ we defeated him. I _know_ he's in prison. But it's still so...scary. I'm clumsy! Really clumsy! This whole Ladybug thing?" She waved her hands up and down her body, gesturing wildly. "I don't know why it doesn't stick around all the time! In my profession, it'd help me immensely! I honestly don't know how I haven't broken my leg more." Adrien chuckled, remembering her futile arguing as he forced her to sit on the sidelines with a massive cast up to her knee.

 

"Yeah, what _is_ it that you do, anyways?" He changed the subject, not wanting to get into another fight about identities.

 

"What? Why?"

 

"I want to know more about you, my lady. You're rather mysterious." He leaned against the railing and crossed his arms over his chest. "I'll tell you if you tell me!" It was silent for a while before she spoke again.

 

"We need to get this patrol going."

 

\----

 

Marinette stared intently at the back of Chat's head, trying to decipher what he really meant by asking about her profession as they leapt across rooftops. Maybe he really did just want to know what she did without any other motive behind it than curiosity. She had to admit that she was perplexed as to what Chat could possibly do for a job.

 

_**Maybe he's a model**_ , she thought. **_Ha! He's cocky enough for it..._**

 

She gasped softly as she narrowly avoided splatting against a chimney, her yoyo quickly catching on another building and catapulting her about two yards in front of Chat. She rolled her eyes and groaned, returning her focus to the streets below after coming to a stop on a roof. There were people milling about on the streets, a lovely summer evening encouraging city inhabitants to go to the stores that were open later, have dinner, go for walks, and generally be out of the house. She smiled as she heard a band practicing below her, turning to the sound coming from the massive skylight in the middle of the roof. Some of the windows had been opened, allowing more sound to come out. She moved towards the warm light and peeked over the edge, peering down into the room below. There was a large room, empty except for the band. She recognized the song as **I Saw You** by **Beach Vacation** , though they were doing a cover of the song.

 

"Not bad, guys," She said to herself, voice trailing off as she nodded her head to the rhythm. She heard Chat land on the roof behind her and she straightened, dancing along to the song. Marinette laughed as Chat grinned at her, standing with slanted hips.

 

"What's gotten into you?" He asked, laughing. "I've never seen you in such a...comfortable mood before."

 

"It's a good song! Have you never heard it before?" She slowed her rocking hips with the verses, picking up the pace and banging her head with the interludes. She stretched her arms out in front of her, inviting Chat to join her. "Come on!"

 

"Thanks, but...I'm a bit of a klutz when it comes to dancing. I've got two left feet." He said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck as he glanced towards the ground. She could have sworn she's seen that exact action before.

 

"Bah, come on! I've got the exact opposite of that problem. Well, the two left feet part, anyway." She shook off the deja vu and listened to the next song, letting out a victorious yell as they moved on to cover **Belt Loops** by **The Films**. "Well, she said jealousy is something that distracts you, I said it's hard to focus with your fingers in his belt loops-"

 

"Now you're _singing_?! Who are you and what have you done with Ladybug?" Chat joked. Marinette grabbed his hands and pulled him in front of her to dance with her, just hoping he'd jump with her to the beat. Thankfully, he shed his small inhibition and joined her, getting into it.

 

"Take what you caaaaan, aaaand...Take iit! Easayyy!" Marinette sang, pretending to hold a microphone as she sang along with the band. She threw her head back and laughed, tripping over her feet and falling on her butt.

 

"You might need to take back what you said about not having two left feet!" Chat teased, helping her up. Marinette laughed again, sighing and leaning against the edge of the roof as the band took a break. She crossed her arms over her chest loosely, looking up at the stars and feeling the breeze in her hair. Her accomplice settled next to her, leaning forward on his hands and staring at the city below. The silence was comfortable, a jovial feeling in the air as they rested.

 

"I'm a dancer," Marinette broke the silence, looking over at Chat as he raised an eyebrow and leered at her.

 

"What? For real?" He questioned, hoisting his leg up and half sitting-half standing to face her.

 

"Yeah. I wasn't kidding when I said I didn't have two left feet. Got the right anatomy and all, otherwise I wouldn't be a professional."

 

"What kind of dance do you do?" Marinette hesitated, wondering if telling him the details would reveal too much about her civilian identity, but swallowed her pride.

 

"Ballet," She grinned, looking at her feet and pushing her bangs out of her eyes a bit.

 

"You're kidding!" Chat snorted, wrapping and unwrapping his belt around his hand. "So when I came up, and you were doing those stretches-"

 

"Practicing!" She nodded. Marinette looked over at Chat and saw his ear-to-ear grin. "What?"

 

"I honestly wouldn't have pegged _you_ as a ballerina," He shrugged, getting up and walking in front of her.

 

"Why's that?" Marientte laughed, leaning back on her hands.

 

"Well, ballerinas are so dainty and poised and-" He caught her gaze as she stared him down, daring him to continue. "And you're all of those things, but you also kick a lot of ass. And I never really pictured ballerinas as ass-kickers."

 

"I like to break the mold," She smirked, her finger rolling over a pebble on her hip. "However, you would be surprised by how many of my colleagues are also in my self defense class. We are certainly an ass-kicking bunch that can pirouette like damn _fairies_." Chat threw his head back in howling laughter, getting Marinette to giggle as well.

 

"My god! You know, I'd love to see a performance of yours at some point." She could see he knew he was pushing it, but she had to admit she did kind of want to tell him.

 

"I-Chat, I just don't know," She sighed, stretching her arms above her head. "I don't know that I'm comfortable with tha-"

 

"Alright. My turn: I'm a model," He stated triumphantly. There was a pause where neither of them said anything, then Marinette snorted and burst into laughter. "What? What's so funny?" Chat demanded.

 

"You know, you had me going there for a second. Come on, what do you _actually_ do?" Marinette sighed, gaining her composure.

 

"I'm...not kidding? I'm _actually_ a model. And a good one at that." He said curtly.

 

"Oh," Marientte debated whether mind reading skills were actually a thing, but blew it off and nodded. "I wasn't really expecting that, but I didn't know what else to peg you as."

 

"Would you like to see some photo evidence?" He offered slyly.

 

"You know, as _tempting_ as that sounds, I have a feeling that it involves you being shirtless and showing me your civilian self. And you know I'm not really ready for that."

 

"Yeah, my Greek god-like body _is_ something that takes a lot of preparation," He said gruffly, striking several poses. Marinette laughed and fanned her face.

 

"My my, you can read me like a book! That's _exactly_ what I was worried about!" She sauntered over to her partner, looking up at the tall blond and poking his chest. "I've handled _countless_ akumas. What makes you think _you're_  going to strike me down?" Marinette hoped her voice didn't reveal that she was mildly interested in seeing him shirtless; the suit was very skin tight, and it was either thick and hard or it was absolute muscle she'd poked.

 

"The same way the thought of seeing you glide across a stage could bring me to my knees, despite me always being strong enough to fight countless akumas," Chat stared down at her, poking her shoulder. At least he knew she wouldn't tolerate a poke in her significantly squishier chest.

 

"Oooh," She hissed through her teeth, stepping back. "Suave." They stood in silence, about a three feet apart, staring at each other while they waited for the other to say something. Marinette stretched her arms behind her head, turning and stepping to the edge of the roof. "Well, I've got to go. I tend to get up early, so I should head home and get some sleep. You, too, Chat."

 

"Ah, yes. I need my beauty rest!" He quipped, inciting another eye roll from Marinette. She readied her yoyo, but before she launched off, she glanced over her shoulder to Chat.

 

"Hey," she called. She watched him turn to her, staff extended.

 

"What's up?" She hesitated again, but she knew she could trust him.

 

" _Swan Lake_." She watched the look of confusion be replaced with realization as he nodded. "I'll get you a ticket to the premiere, if you'd like."

 

"I would. Thank you." He said, then jumped off the roof with the help of his staff before Marinette could say anything else.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i HIGHLY recommend you look up ballet hands. i've never seen such grace. i've got weird hand jealousy now. so dainty, so graceful, so perfect. like actual anime hands, in a way.
> 
> also, i'm very sorry for the lack of updates and the large gaps in between updates, i've literally been so stressed out with school and graduating that i made myself sick (stress disorders amirite)


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ooooo will we see a jealous adrien this chapter? maybe more jealousy from lennon?? who knows!
> 
> i know, i know what's gonna happen

Marinette landed gently on her balcony and sat down in the plastic chair she had before de-transforming. After reappearing, Tikki floated down onto Marinette's shoulder and yawned, rubbing her eyes.

 

"I know. I'm tired, too." The ballerina sighed, taking her hair out of her pigtails and letting in fall on her shoulders. She'd have to get it cut soon, it was getting long again. "Do you need your cookies?"

 

"No, just a little sleepy. I'll be okay," Tikki flew from her perch on the shoulder and sat on Marinette's leg, looking up at her with cheeky eyes and a big grin. "Are _you_?"

 

"What do you mean?" She kicked off her shoes and took off the hoodie she'd changed into before leaving. The cool night air wrapped around her arms and legs, glad she went with the choice of shorts.

 

"You know what I mean! You...? And _Chat_....? And the _dancing_?!" The kwami exclaimed, prompting her human to roll her eyes. "Are you serious? You've never acted like that before! What happened to you?" Marinette pressed the heels of her hands to eyes and groaned. Marinette hadn't wanted to talk about this. "Marinette, I know there's an answer!"

 

"Tikki, I...I really don't know what happened," She searched for the right words, but nothing felt right. "It just felt like-like I _knew_ him."

 

"What do you mean?" Tikki's head cocked to the side, gazing curiously up at her human counterpart.

 

"I just-it felt like I knew him, Tikki. Like I know who he is behind the mask." The kwami's eyes widened and her tiny mouth dropped open. "He did and said things that...they seemed so familiar. But I don't know who it could be." Marinette's cheeks warmed as she thought back to Chat dancing with her, the way he'd been embarrassed beforehand. The subtle lip bite he'd done when she looked at him, the way he'd held her hands so gently, but with such a solid promise of never letting go.

 

 _ **Wait,**_ Marinette thought, sweeping the thoughts from her head. _**Why am I thinking of him like this? He's my partner, I've never-**_

 

"Marinette?" A tiny, bell-like voice broke her from her thoughts as Tikki appeared in front of her eyes.

 

"Yeah?" Her voice cracked, prompting a small giggle from her kwami. The dancer cleared her throat and started over. "Yeah?"

 

"You're as red as a tomato," The small creature giggled mischievously. "What were you thinking about?"

 

"N-Nothing!" Marinette jumped up, grabbing her hoodie and sneakers, and almost running into the glass door to her apartment while trying to get in. She threw the clothes on the floor by her couch and stomped over to her fridge, grabbing a bottle of water. Half of it got on her clothes and the floor as she drank it furiously. She growled in frustration, focused mainly at herself and her confusing feelings.

 

"Marinette, calm down! Getting upset doesn't help anything. I'm sorry for teasing you. Let's talk about this," Tikki encouraged, flying over and kissing the dancer's forehead. Marinette took a deep breath, holding her kwami against her chest for a hug.

 

"I know, I'm sorry for freaking out. I'm just so confused. I like Adrien, even after all these years, and Lennon's becoming more of an asshole," She took another drink of water, sitting on the kitchen floor and slumping against the cabinets next to the puddle of water. "Which I didn't think was possible. And now I feel like I _know_ Chat, and he's so familiar that I can almost put my finger on who he is, but I just...I can't. And it's so frustrating."

 

"Does this mean you want to reveal to each other?" Tikki asked. Admittedly, the thought had crossed Marinette's mind before, even when Chat wasn't nattering on about it. He made some good points. It would be easier, they have no one to hide it from anymore. And no matter how annoying he was, she still trusted him more than anyone else she knew. Her mind always circled back to the same thought, however; that she'll reveal to him and he'll hate her or something. Even with all his insisting that he'll like her no matter who she is, Marinette can't fully bring herself to like the idea.

 

"I know _he_ does. He brought it up again tonight, but he let it drop quicker than usual." She hung her head and stared at the floor. Her heart pounded in her ears, unsure of how to handle this. "I'm so scared that I'm going to be... _less than_ for him. I...I need to take my mind off this." Marinette heaved herself off the floor, cleaned up the water, and padded down the hall to her room. As she walked, she unbuttoned her shorts and slid them off, leaving them on the floor behind her and peeling her tank top off and tossing it away. She shut her bedroom door after Tikki flittered in behind her, moving to her makeshift bed of a beanie, cotton balls, and a piece of plush fabric. Marinette shed her bra and pulled her nightshirt on, crawling into bed and cocooning herself in the blankets. "I just need to not think about Adrien...or Lennon...or Chat..." Marinette mumbled, snaking her hand out from under the covers and picking her phone up off the nightstand. She opened Facebook, seeing she had a new friend request. Opening it, her heart started racing as she saw Adrien Agreste's face smiling at her with those stunning green eyes. Putting her phone to sleep and slamming it down on the mattress, she groaned and caught the attention of Tikki.

 

"Do I want to know?" She joked from across the room.

 

"Just...boy troubles with the same boys." The ballerina breathed, rolling onto her back and staring at the ceiling. The moonlight cast strange, distorted shadows across the room, and Marinette smiled as she saw Tikki's antenna twitch as she settled back in her bed.

 

"Why not get one of those dating apps and..." Tikki yawned, tiny and almost inaudible. "And distract yourself with another boy." Marinette snorted as a reply, and she soon heard tiny snores from Tikki's direction. She smiled, sitting up and taking the brush off her nightstand. She brushed her hair, laughing at the idea of getting a dating app.

 

 ** _Yeah, get a dating app,_** Marinette thought, brow furrowing as she tried working out an especially difficult knot. **_And then what? Find some guy to be with? Then we start dating and...and I don't have to worry about other boys..._**

 

\----

 

"Huh," Marinette chewed the inside of her lip as she uploaded the last few pictures onto her Tinder, setting her favorite one as her profile picture. "That was easier to do than I thought." She double-checked to make sure none of the pictures had someone else in them, so no one got confused as to who she was or thought that she'd be into threesomes. She moved to the main screen and searched in her area, finding a few cute guys that seemed interesting and swiped right before growing a little bored. After exiting out of the app, Marinette checked the time. She knew there was a good chance Alya was still up, and she honestly needed to talk to her best friend right now.

 

 **M:** Hey, Alya! You up?

 

_**A:** Yeah, trying to figure out how to work the layout for this story for the paper. What's up?_

 

 **M:** Not much, I just wanted to talk to you. I've had a wild past couple of days.

 

 **M:** Adrien kind of saved me from Lennon tonight, and I got a Tinder.

 

_**A:** Wait_

_**A:** YOU got a Tinder?_

 

 **M:** Yeah, but did you completely miss the part about Adrien?

 

_**A:** Yeah yeah, we'll get to that, but TINDER for MARINETTE DUPAIN-CHENG?_

 

 **M:** ....

 

 **M:** I feel slightly patronized here.

 

_**A:** Girl, you have been all about your job and no dating since day one! It's about time you changed that. Now I will return to the Adrien thing because he has to do with this next question._

_**A:** Why not just date Adrien? Why get a Tinder?_

 

 **M:** Because he's working in the ballet company! He's doing some article with us, and if we're dating or something, then it'd look like I'm just using him for a better spot in the article.

 

 **M:** Plus, in order to date Adrien, he would have to like me back.

 

_**A:** Oh, not with this again. I thought you left middle school Marinette in middle school. There's no reason he wouldn't like you! When the article is over, just go for it._

 

 **M:** Ugh, I hate when you make valid points while I'm brooding.

 

_**A:** You're long past your angsty teen phase, and I am not letting you slip back into that._

 

 **M:** Ha ha, very funny.

 

_**A:** I'm serious! You were seriously depressed back then, all because you got it in your head that no one would ever be better than Adrien, even though you thought he would never like you back._

_**A:** You got messed up._

 

 **M:** Yeah, I know. I'm okay, though. I think they're announcing who's gonna be in the article tomorrow. Then I'll just have to wait it out a little bit longer and middle/high school me can go back to not existing.

 

_**A:** Well, I guess that's one way to look at it. Just keep your head up! How's the Tinder going?_

 

 **M:** Eh, I'm a little nervous. I just don't wanna get a fuckboy.

 

_**A:** I don't think anyone does, girl. Why are you still up? You need to get to sleep! You know Angel's gonna yell at you if you're tired in class._

 

 **M:** Lmao, thanks mom. Talk to you tomorrow!

 

Marinette smiled with a gentle sigh, hooked her phone up to the charger, set her alarm, rolled over, and fell asleep.

 

\----

 

_They were running the scene where the prince meets Odette today, the focus practically palpable as everyone put 110% effort in to impress the model and their teacher. Marinette stole glances in Adrien's direction every now and then, mostly trying to not run into one of her fellow dancers. She could usually get away with it, but this time, Adrien smiled at her. Marinette's knees went wobbly. Unfortunately, it was right as she was landing from a jump, and her knees buckled upon impact; Marinette crumpled to the floor. Her legs and feet were fine, but her hand had hit the floor hard and was subsequently crushed by her body while it was twisted. She'd felt a pop in her wrist and worried she'd fractured something. A ballerina can't dance with a cast, let alone one on her wrist._

_Immediately, the music stopped and the other dancers were crowding around her. Lennon had luckily been out today, so someone else had taken his place. Marinette knew that he would make this into a bigger scene than it already was. The other girls were huddling around her, asking if she was okay while she simply nodded, trying to assess the damage to her hand in her mind. She didn't want to speak, worried she might cry if she said something. A pulsing pain slowly crept across her wrist with each heartbeat. Something definitely wasn't right, but it didn't look or feel broken. Maybe she'd just sprained it. Angel's sudden presence broke her from her thoughts as he knelt down to her level and put a caring hand on her shoulder._

_"Marinette, are you okay? Can you get up?" Marinette swallowed as she struggled to maintain eye contact with him, feeling tears of pain and embarrassment stinging her eyes. Miraculously, she kept a straight face. She gave a slight shake of her head, knowing her legs were still jelly, which was met with a nod from Angel. He turned to Adrien, who was suddenly next to them. "Adrien, please take her down the hall to the infirmary. We've got ice packs, braces, wraps. Anything that she might need, we've probably got it."_

_"Okay!" The model replied, scooping Marinette up in one fell swoop. She gasped softly in surprise, instinctively wrapping her good arm around his neck and shoulders. She cradled her injured arm across her chest and blushed as she felt Adrien's hand squeeze her thigh as they moved towards the door. A few dancers held it open for them while Angel called for a break. Marinette gained enough composure to talk, directing Adrien to the proper door. He backed against the door, opening it, and set the ballerina on the cot after shutting the door behind them. As he backed away, Marinette admired and marveled at how muscular his arms were and how well they'd been shown off in the t-shirt he was wearing._

_"T-Thank you," She mumbled, realizing some of her hair had fallen out of its bun. She took it out, only to realize she couldn't put it back up on her own. She slipped the hair tie around her good wrist as Adrien knelt in front of her._

_"It's not a problem. Where are you hurt?" He inspected her legs, hands gentle and soft as they moved on her leg. Marinette's face burned._

_"N-Not my legs, it's my-my wrist," She held her bad arm out, support her wrist with her free hand. "I landed on it and I felt a pop. I really hope it's not broken."_

_"I don't think it is. If it was, the swelling would be almost immediate. I think you just sprained it," He assured her with a smile. After letting go of her leg, he went to hold her hand to check it out. "May I?" He asked, looking at her with such a careful and caring intensity that Marinette felt like she was floating. She nodded, and he sat next to her on the cot and gingerly held her wrist. He pressed his thumb gently on different spots, slowly and carefully turning her wrist over. "Can you bend it?"_

_"I-I don't know, I haven't tried." She admitted, nodding at him to try. He slowly moved it forward and backward, side to side, and slowly rotated it in small circles. As he bent it forward a bit more, pain shot up her arm and her breath hitched as tears welled in her eyes._

_"Do you feel any pain?" Adrien asked, looking up at her and seeing her tears. Marinette looked away, but his hand cupped her cheek and brought her gaze back to him. "Did I hurt you?"_

_"N-No, it's just my..." Marinette hiccuped as her tears became more uncontrollable, finally cascading down her cheeks in hot trails. They were made by pain and embarrassment, now more embarrassment over any pain she felt before. "M-My wrist." His eyes clouded over as he got up and grabbed an icepack, wrap, and some tissues. He sat back down, wrapping her wrist a bit before wrapping the icepack in with it, securing it with tape and picking up a tissue. He gently wiped her cheeks off, looking her in the eyes as she smiled softly. "I must look so stupid right now." She laughed sadly at herself, wiping the tears from her eyes with her good hand._

_"No, you don't. People get hurt. It's okay to be upset," He said softly, leaning in a little bit. Marinette's heart hammered in her ears as he picked her injured hand up. "I think you look beautiful," He supported her wrist and held her hand, thumb rubbing softly over her knuckles. "I think you always look beautiful." He punctuated the sentence by planting soft kisses on the top of her wrist, turning it over slowly and kissing the underside. She was sure he could feel her thunderous pulse on his lips._

_"A-Ah...t-thank you," Was all she could stutter out, her eyelids getting heavy as he continued kissing up her arm. She couldn't think of anything to say, not that she wanted him to stop. His lips were so soft, and it felt so good. Adrien moved closer, their legs pressed together, and Marinette instinctively tilted her head back to show her neck. Her hand rested on his thigh, fingers twitching as his lips pressed against her collarbone. He moved up her neck, grazing her jawline, and finally opened his eyes. Marinette knew her face was red, but it didn't read ' **scared** '. She nodded to him, as if he was asking for permission, but he noticed a small tear still in the corner of her eye. Adrien's hands held her face carefully and he kissed the corner of her eye, taking the tear with him._

_As he sat back, Marinette watched him lick his lips. He stayed there, waiting for her to make a move, and she did. Carefully, she moved towards him and set her good hand on his stomach, kneeling on the bed and leaning forward. She gripped his shirt, the smooth fabric wrinkling in her fingers, but neither of them cared. His hands held her hips to support her, and he leaned in to meet her lips with his. She had to fight the urge to slip her hand under his shirt to get a better feel of the incredible abdominal muscles he'd developed over the years._

_"Oh, my lady," The words were whispered against her lips, teasing her, but Marinette's eyes snapped open in her daze at the mention of her nickname from her partner. She leaned back, looking at him, and realizing he'd suddenly been transformed into Chat; leather suit, mask, ears and all. His cheshire grin was more of a seductive smirk than usual. His clawed gloves moved up her arms gently, the sharp tips on his fingers sending goosebumps across her skin, and he suddenly wrapped his arms around her. Chat swept Marinette under him, laying her on her back, and his arms braced against the cot next to her head. She had to admit, the way his hair framed his face was really beautiful. Her arms were limp at her sides, legs gently straddling Chat's hips as he hovered over her. He braced himself against his forearms, kissing up her chest as he made his way up the path again._

_"C-Chat? What happened to Adrien? What are you doing?" She rambled, mind going blank at how good his kisses felt. Marinette tried to fight it; she didn't have feelings for Chat, right?_

_"The things you do to me..." He mumbled, not listening to anything she was saying. She could swear he was purring. The soft vibrations felt so euphoric next to her ear that Marinette's back arched off the bed a bit. "Are paw-sitively unbearbale." His hand slipped behind her neck, picking her head up a bit, but he didn't have to fight much. The ballerina's body had a mind of its own as she sat up to wrap her arms around his shoulders, their lips so close to meeting-_

 

\----

 

Marinette's alarm blared, making her jump out of her sleep as she desperately smacked at her alarm to make it stop. Once it had, she laid back and rubbed her eyes, cursing her alarm for interrupting such a fantastic dream. She yawned, stretched, and clambered out of bed. Her legs felt heavy and she struggled to lift them so she could get to the shower, but Marinette slowly made her way to the bathroom. She turned her speakers on, which were Bluetooth connected to her Spotify, and she started her shower as **Comb My Hair** by **Coast Modern** came on. She stared at herself in the mirror as it fogged up, swiping her hand across the condensation and looking in her own eyes. What had that dream been about? What was wrong with her?

 

"Seriously, brain," She muttered, turning away from the mirror and stepping into the shower. "What is _wrong_ with you?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i had a lot more planned for this chapter, but i want to space it out over the next few chapters, and i'm also dealing with senior year and a college class and hoo boy. i figured i'd made you all wait long enough anyways. enjoy!


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> how many of you hate me for not uploading more
> 
> it's okay i hate me, too

Adrien used to wake up just to get through the day. He hated having to work with his father, going to work every day and being under extreme scrutiny. The compliments didn't feel real, probably forced because of who his father was. As his eighteenth birthday had come around, he checked his private bank account on a daily basis, always making sure his savings still had the money he'd saved up so he could move out. School ended, he became a legal adult, and moved out one day while his father was at a meeting across town. He'd left a letter for Gabriel, saying how he was quitting his job at the Agreste modeling company, moving out, and that he wasn't coming back. Adrien hadn't bothered to take any of the majorly expensive things; he'd taken his clothes, bed, mattress, some towels, bathroom items, alarm clock, some furniture, and Plagg. He'd briefly considered taking his television, but decided against it. He didn't think it would fit in his apartment, and didn't want it to seem like he'd used his father for money and trivial things. The day came, the movers helped pack things up, and he was gone. His father hadn't even bothered to contact him after all these years.

 

That was then. Now, Adrien has something to live for when he wakes up.

 

Adrien smacked the snooze button on his alarm clock as it went off, waking him up at a painful 4:30 in the morning. Groggily, he rubbed his eyes and yawned before tumbling out of bed. He squatted and stood back up, getting some blood flowing to his legs. He brushed his hair back and made pitiful attempts to slick it down, which just resulted in a strange middle part and hair falling into his face. After brushing his hair back to it's normal position, he picked a t-shirt off the floor and pulled it on, adding some bike shorts to his lazy outfit. He slipped into his tennis shoes, grabbing a water bottle from the fridge and heading down to the gym.

 

At this hour, no one was going to be in the gym. That's the way Adrien liked it. Sometimes people stared at him, which he would never get used to. He would often brush it off, start up his music on his iPod, and do his typical workout. However, he spent about 15 more minutes on the treadmill than usual before doing weighted squats; if he was going to possibly save Marinette again, he should get his legs more used to high endurance activity. As he turned his phone on, Adrien stretched on the floor. His phone dinged as he lunged, and he reached over to see he had a new notification from Tinder. Someone new was in his area- quite close to him, too. He tapped on the notification, waiting for the app to open and load the profile. Adrien hadn't fully intended on using the app to actually meet and date people and find his soulmate. Admittedly, he used it for one-night stands, but that was on rare occasions. He expected to see some girl with a big smile staring back at him, maybe a group picture that he wasn't going to bother guessing who was who, but he'd never expected to see a familiar face.

 

Marinette's face lit up his screen, sending butterflies through his system as he immediately tapped on her profile to see what it read.

 

**_"Ballerina, 24, looking for something serious. I work a lot of hours and I have to practice a lot, so I need someone who's willing and capable to work with it. If you have a motorcycle, you should swipe right."_ **

 

Adrien didn't hesitate as his thumb whipped across the screen to the right, and he waited to see if they would match. While he wanted to wait forever to catch it right as it happened, he needed to get his workout finished and get ready to head over to the studio. He had to meet with Angel and the production manager to decide who would be in the article. Putting his phone on silent and playing his workout playlist, he continued to exercise. Push-ups, sit-ups, weights, elliptical, stationary bike, and finishing with some yoga. When he was done, it was 6:30, and he grabbed his things and moved to the exit. He checked his phone, still not seeing any notifications of matching with Marinette. He sighed and reached the elevator, taking it up to his floor. Maybe a hot shower would help him relax.

 

\----

 

Marinette stretched in front of the mirror, running her practice steps through her mind as she kept eye contact with her reflection. She hoisted her leg onto the barre, sweeping down slowly and pointing her toes before rising. She brought her leg down, repeating the stretch with her other leg, and stepping back from the barre. She put on the music for the _Pas de Quatre_ , getting into position as she set her iPod down. The song began, and she stayed stiff. The dance was a little harder to do on her own, but the difficulty level solo didn't hold a candle to actually doing it with three other people. Even though it was her day off, Marinette always came in to practice for at least an hour. She had errands to run, and as she danced, she ran what she had to do through her head. She was going to go for a run after practice, at least for 20 minutes, then go back to her apartment and change into her everyday clothes.

 

 ** _I need to get eggs, bread, milk...some lunch meat would be good, but I should really get prosciutto for dinner,_** Marinette thought, wondering what sale would be happening that day. _ **Then I need to get flowers for Mama, since her birthday was yesterday and I was so exhausted I forgot to call...I should hand deliver them to her.**_

 

Marinette knelt in the ending pose as the song ended, marking the end of her dance. As she wiped some sweat from her forehead, she noticed a young dancer in the corner, most likely a youth dancer from across the hall. They would typically wander in before and between practices to watch the advanced dancers rehearse. She would usually ignore them, but this girl had taken part of Marinette's heart; the way she watched the advanced class with such fervor and a fire in her eyes reminded Marinette of herself.

 

"Winny!" Marinnette exclaimed, moving towards the girl with open arms. They embraced in a strong hug and smiled brightly at each other once they parted. "How are you? How are you dealing with Madame Augustine? Bit of a stickler, huh?" Marinette chuckled, walking with the young girl to the barre.

 

"I would say you have no idea, but everyone has dealt with her," Winny sighed, setting her bag down and taking her shoes out. "Everyone knows."

 

"Ah, yes. She was horrible. I cried so many times after practice; and during practice," Marinette grimaced, remember her not-so-fond memories of being yelled at for even one hair being out of her bun. "But she is an impeccable teacher."

 

"Seeing you dance, I know that's true. Monsieur Angel definitely helps, too. He's seems so nice, so in touch with his dancers! I can't wait to be taught by him in two years," Winny fawned dreamily.

 

"You're learning _The Nutcracker_ , right? _Sugar Plum Fairy_?"

 

"Yeah, but I need more help with it. You danced the role, too, right?"

 

"It was my first big role," Marinette smiled. "Do you want me to give you some pointers?"

 

"Yes, please!" Winny exclaimed, rushing to connect her phone to the speakers so the music could play. She raced to the middle of the room and nodded at Marinette to hit play. The roomed filled with the gentle plucking of string instruments, and Winny began tiptoeing across the floor. Her shoulders were arched perfectly, and she moved so gracefully. Marinette noted how her turns were too short, however, and her arms moved too stiffly. As the music sped up towards the end, Winny's feet had the speed with the turns down perfectly. Her finishing pose was angled and arched beautifully, and her facial expressions were stunning.

 

"How was that?" Winny panted, moving to stand in first position; Marinette remembered how she formed the same habit after being in Madame Augustine's class for so long.

 

"You did _so_ well! Your expressions are incredible, your posture is amazing, and you're so graceful on pointe!" Marinette beamed at the young ballerina, hugging her gently. "Just a few things, easy to fix, but we'll need time to practice. How much time do you have?"

 

"All day!" Winny exclaimed.

 

"Let's get started!" Marinette pushed her nagging grocery thoughts away as she stretched with Winny.

 

\----

 

"You've got everything organized for the shoot next week?" Adrien spoke into his phone, brow furrowed as he paced outside the dance studio.

 

"Yes, sir, the cameras and lights have been noted as taken for next week. Production crew has been notified. Everything will be ready." Marie's assitant confirmed.

 

"Wonderful! Thank you, Ronaldo!" Adrien beamed and hung up, about to stride into the studio when a firm hand clapped down on his shoulder. The model turned abruptly, eyes meeting evenly with Lennon. "Can I help you?" Adrien nearly spat.

 

"Leave Marinette _alone_ ," Lennon growled lowly. The model's eyes raked over the dancer, noting how he wasn't dressed anywhere near how a dancer should for practice; jeans, a t-shirt, sneakers, and a cardigan were nothing to grand jete in. It seemed as if he'd been followed or watched.

 

"Excuse me?" Adrien took a step back, a little put off by his boldness.

 

"You heard me," Lennon pushed Adrien's shoulder with a slightly menacing anger to it. "Leave Marinette alone. You're messing her up. Ever since you started coming here, she's missing cues and nearly hurting herself and others. You're distracting her and it's not beneficial to our production in any way. Pick another dance group; one that you're not so _impartial_ to."

 

"Look, I don't know what your deal is, but I'm not doing anything except my job," Adrien pushed Lennon back, a bit rougher. "And if _you_ were doing _yours_ , we wouldn't have any issues. It's not my fault Marinette is _afraid_ of you, anyways. Maybe your harassment is what's messing her up." The dancer's jaw clenched and his fists balled, his whole body nearly flaming with rage. As the model mentally prepared to defend himself, Lennon backed up and moved to leave, but not before speaking over his shoulder.

 

"You're not even worth fighting. Just leave her alone and stop messing her up. She doesn't need a model to disrupt her life. Stay away from Marinette." The words hung in the air, nearly dripping with poison, and then Lennon was gone. Adrien watched him go before heading into the studio and marching towards the practice room to scout out where to put things. As he half stomped, half strode down the halls, he collected himself; showing anger or frustration in the building would scare those he was going to work with, and Adrien hated the idea of making others fear him unnecessarily. Upon reaching the studio, Adrien could hear music playing from within. As quietly as he could, he opened the door and stepped inside, taking in the sight of Marinette dancing with a young girl. The girl was probably 12 or 13 with pale skin covered in freckles. Her coppery red hair was mostly pulled up in a tight bun, spare her bands and two locks on either side of her face. She wore black leggings cropped mid-calf and a white tank top. Marinette was dressed the same, except she wore a bright blue long sleeved shirt and leg warmers. The two girls moved in unison, graceful and fluid, yet precise and sharp. The music swelled, and their pace picked up until they ended in a delicately stiff pose. Adrien stared longingly at Marinette, unaware of the grin spread across his face.

 

"Oh, Adrien!" Marinette exclaimed, breaking her pose first after catching sight of the model in the mirror. The young girl relaxed and stood next to her dance partner, watching curiously. "How nice to see you. I wasn't...uh...I-I didn't know you were coming in today!"

 

"Ah, y-yeah! I wanted to scout out the space for the shoot next week, but I thought I would get here when no one was practising. Sorry for interrupting!" He stammered, stepping towards Marinette. Her eyes sparkled and her face was slightly pink; he couldn't help but notice how gently her chest rose and fell as she caught her breath. "That was beautiful. I-I didn't mean to stare, but it was so...beautiful!" He chuckled, kicking himself on the inside for faltering with his words.

 

"Thank you," Adrien thought he saw her cheeks redden slightly more, but she turned to the younger dancer next to her. "Oh, where are my manners! Adrien, this is Winny. She's a youth dancer from across the hall. I was helping her practice. Winny, this is-"

 

"Adrien Agreste, _duh_! I've got, like, 20 posters of him on my bedroom wall!" The redhead giggled, suddenly blushing and losing her smile a bit. "I _can't believe_ I just said that out loud...to _Adrien Agreste_." Adrien couldn't help but laugh and pull her in for a quick hug, beaming down at Winny.

 

"Well, coming from such an incredible young dancer, I feel honored! Keep dancing like you are now and I'll be able to say the same thing in 10 years." Winny's cheeks reddened as she grinned back, stepping over to Marinette and whispering something in her ear. The young girl glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, whispered the rest of her statement, watched Marinette's eyes grow wide and her cheeks blush, and rushed off laughing to herself.

 

"W-Winny! Get out of here!" Marinette half laughed as she jokingly shook her fist at the girl, who quickly disappeared behind the studio doors. And suddenly, Adrien was acutely aware of being alone in room with Marinette.


End file.
